DENNIS
When | reached the door, a question | had meant to ask suddenly occured to me. | turned back to find her gaze
still on me. "What is it?" She smiled.
It felt so good to see her smile and not glare atlike she has been doing for the past days.
"I have a question," | said as | slowly walked back to her.
"Okay?"
"The other time, when | was telling you about the properties | sold, you said you saw the documents for the sales
| made in my drawer?"
"Yes, | said that."
| frowned. "How?"
"Oh yes. | was at your bar," she shrugged. "I waited for quite a while but you would not return so | just left."
"Oh." | recalled manager the times when my manager tried to tellsomething when | returned that day. That
was probably what he was trying to tell me.
"I had no idea." | wanted to add that she should have calledbut then | remembered that | hadn't been
picking up calls. "The manager tried to tellbut | was so angry that | told him off." She smiled. "It's okay. | now
understand."
| sighed again, berating myself for my foolishness.
| stepped forward and pulled her in for another hug. "Thank you for sticking witheven though I'm an
asshole."
"Okay."
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| pulled back and gaped at her. "So you agree that I'm an asshole?"
She burst into a fit of giggles.
| walked around the hospital for a while, wondering where the heck Aiden had taken Amie.
Finally, | cto an abrupt halt when | spotted them on the playground in the hospital compound.
Amie was giggling so hard as she sat around Aiden's neck.
| smiled at how happy she looked. At how she was still so full of life even when it looked like she had little of it.
"Amie!" | called and walked towards them. "Amie."
Immediately, Amie turned around. Her eyes brightened even more before she yelled, "Daddy!"
Slowly, Aiden turned around to face me. Then Amie tapped Aiden on his head and said something to him. And
then she was moving like she would climb off his body if he didn't let her down on time. As soon as Aiden placed
her on the floor, she ran toward me. "Daddy."
| met her half way and caught in my arms.
"Oh, baby," | pressed a kiss to her forehead and she giggled, wrapping her arms aroundin a hug. "It's just
been a few hours and | have missed terribly."
"I missed you too. Uncle Aiden is so fun to hang out with, can | hang out with him abother time?"
At that question, | looked up and my gaze met Aiden's, his lips was pulled tight in a forced polite smile but
everything else about him opposed that smile, from his clenched fists to his hardened jaw. "Of course," | told
Amie. "Whenever you have the time, you can."
"Yay." She threw her hands in the air and huggedagain, almost squeezing the daylight out of my neck.
"Thank you, daddy, you are the best."
Then she turned to face Aiden.
"Guess what?"
Aiden pocketed his clenched fists. His smile widened as he looked at her but it looked less forced now. "What's
that, princess?"
Princess? | resisted the urge to scoff.
Amie giggled. "You're so bad at guessing. My dad says | can play with you next tI'm free just like today."
"Oh, that's great then. | look forward to that day."
too. Make sure you cwith my friend, okay?" She told him excitedly.
Aiden chuckled. "You've not met her and you already call her your friend?"
Amie bobbed her head. "You've toldso much about her. | feel like | already know her."
"Oh, you do," he smiled softly.
| was so lost that their conversation was starting to get irritating.
Finally, Amie waved at him. "Bye." Then, "Wait daddy. | want to hug him."
| moved closer to Aiden that I'd have liked and let him hug Amie.
"Bye, princess."
Then with a stiff nod in his direction, | turned away from him and headed to the car.
| kind of believe that he has no ill intention but it was just hard to trust him. His mere presence makesfeel
like he was there to snatch the most important women in my life away.
As | drove us back to the hospital, Amie wouldn't stop yapping about her day with Aiden.
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"He knows how to play tag so much!" She gasped.
| raised my brows, "Oh really?"
"Really!" Then she went on and one about the other ‘awesome’ things he could do.
| really wanted to roll my eyes at this point.
Finally, she stop talking about the games they played and announced giddily, "He said he'll buya very big
toy house when | leave the hospital."
"He did?" | turned to her.
She bobbed her head, a huge grin on her face. "He said it would be so big that I'd be able to enter inside."
"Wow, that's so cool." | was sure | didn't sound as excited as she was.
"So so cool. He has a lot of money."
| frowned and turned to her briefly, surprised that she mentioned that.
"Daddy has a lot of money too," | found myself say. Then, "Con, what do you want Daddy to get you when
you get discharged from the hospital?"
She propped her index finger on her chin and tilted her head to a side, her brows slightly furrowed, "Let me
think..."
Suddenly, she clapped her hands. "I know, | know. A giraffe! | want a giraffe."
| blinked at the road before me, "A G-giraffe?"
She nodded. "Yes. We'll both stay in my toy house and have so much fun with my brother."
"How big do you want your giraffe toy to be?"
She shook her head firmly. "No daddy, | didn't mean a toy....a real giraffe. | want a real giraffe."